Ignoreland
| "Ignoreland" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional CD single | ||||
| Song by R.E.M. from the album Automatic for the People | ||||
| Released | October 5, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:24 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer(s) |
Scott Litt R.E.M. | |||
| Automatic for the People track listing | ||||
| ||||
"Ignoreland" is the eighth track from R.E.M.'s studio album Automatic for the People. The song was not released as a single, but had chart positions on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. "Ignoreland" is the sixth song by R.E.M. not to be released as a single while having a chart position. The previous song unreleased with a chart position by the band was a cover of Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan", which was released as a B-side to "Drive".
The song's lyrical content is political, referring to the conditions of the United States during the Presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
Mike Mills said: "Michael's rolling against Republican politics. The opening line is, 'These bastards stole all the power from the victims of the us v. them years / Wrecking all things virtuous and true'. And the last verse is really great – 'I know that this is vitriol, no solution, spleen-venting / But I feel better having screamed. Don't you?' It's really great."[1]
"You need headphones to get all the words, but they're understandable," said Peter Buck. "Michael's singing through an amp on that. He wanted to get that cold anger in his voice that you get with natural distortion. And the song is written in Neil Young's tuning. Not that he owns it. But the Es are tuned down to D, like in 'Cinnamon Girl'. I admit it, he's the one I learned that tuning from."[1]
The band members have been quoted as saying that they were not entirely happy with the production of the song on the album, and the song was not played live during subsequent tours. The song made its live debut almost 16 years after its album release at the opening show for the band's final tour Accelerate in Vancouver, BC on May 23, 2008.[2] [3]
Charts
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100[4] | 43 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[5] | 5 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[4] | 4 |
References
- 1 2 Melody Maker, 1992
- ↑ Amrit Singh (May 27, 2008). "R.E.M. Kick Off Tour In Vancouver With Some Rarities". stereogum.
- ↑ "Vancouver Sun reviews opening night (setlist)". remhq.com.
- 1 2 "R.E.M. - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
- ↑ "R.E.M. – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for R.E.M.. Retrieved 2011-05-06.